The present invention relates to monopoles and survey poles for holding and positioning surveying equipment, global positioning antennas, and the like.
There is a need in the surveying art and the global positioning (GPS) art to enable easy set-up of monopoles and surveying poles, and compact storage when not in use. There is a further need for these poles to be inexpensive to manufacture and convenient to transport. The present invention is directed to addressing these needs.
Broadly stated, the present invention encompasses a positioning pole comprising a center pole, a first guide disposed on an outer surface of the center pole, a first support leg, and a first attachment coupler which pivotally attaches the first support leg to the first guide. In preferred embodiments, the center pole has an elongated dimension and an outer surface disposed along the elongated dimension, and the first guide has an elongated dimension oriented parallel to the elongated dimension of the pole. Also in preferred embodiments, the first attachment coupler has an elongated dimension, a first face, and a second face, with the elongated dimension being shorter than the elongated dimension of the first guide. The first face of the first attachment coupler has a contoured surface which interfits with the first guide of the pole and enables the first attachment coupler to slide along the elongated dimension of the first guide without separating from the guide in directions that are perpendicular to the guide""s elongated dimension.
Also in preferred embodiments, the positioning pole comprises one or more additional sets of guides, attachment couplers, and support legs. In addition, a locking mechanism is included to lock each attachment coupler to its corresponding guide once a desired position is found for its respective support leg.
To store the positioning pole, each of the support legs can be rotated toward, and positioned against, the center pole (i.e., folded against the center pole), and with each attachment coupler being slide toward the top end of the center pole to a point where the length of its respective support leg is disposed within the length of the center pole. When the positioning pole is to be put into use, the center pole is positioned over the monument or surveying mark and set in a rough plumb position, then each leg is rotated outward and the respective attachment coupler is slide down its respective guide until the bottom end of the support leg encounters a supporting location on the ground. The center pole is then placed into a fine plumb position by axially pivoting it around the monument point, during which time the attachment couplers freely move along their respective guides to accommodate the pivoting rotation while not losing their anchoring spots at the ends of the support legs. Once the fine plumb position is found, the attachment couplers may be locked into position against the center pole. The construction of the present invention enables this very simple and fast method of placing and securing the center pole in a plumb position.
The above-described construction enables each support leg to couple into the center pole at a plurality of points along the center pole, enables each set of attachment coupler and support leg to couple into the center pole at a different and independent location to better match the ground topology, enables each support leg to be placed at a different and independent angle with respect to the center pole to also better match the ground topology, and enables easy locking of the leg positions once the plumb point of the center pole is found. Usually the support legs in prior art tripods are constructed with adjustable lengths, and the positioning of the ends of these legs on the ground is adjusted by adjusting the length of the support legs. While adjustable-length support legs may be used in the present invention, the above-described sliding construction of the present invention provides an additional way of positioning the ends of the support legs, one which is more convenient in many ways to the telescoping mechanism of the prior art tripod poles.
As described in greater detail below, the above-construction of the present invention enables the center pole and support legs to be made by inexpensive extrusion methods, and enables the attachment couplers and locking arms to be made by inexpensive casting methods.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a position pole for surveying equipment, global positioning antennas, and the like which is easy and quick to place and secure into a plumb position.
It is a further object of the present invention to enable the components of positioning poles according to the present invention to be formed by inexpensive manufacturing methods.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a position pole which is compact to store and convenient to transport.